Automobile jack



AugVZO, 1929. H. SELDOMRIDGE AUTOMOBILE JACK Filed Dec. 30 1926 2 SheetsSheet Harr Saldumr'uige //7 fitter/mg 1929- H. SELDOMRIDGE 1,725,216

AUTOMOBILE JACK Filed Dec. 50, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 may; I

gmwnkw H 51T E eldmmfidfi Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE.

HARRY SELDOMBIDGE, OF CLINTON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALE TO ANTHONY MABIETTA, OF CLINTON, INDIANA.

AUTOMOBILE JACK.

Application filed December 30, 1926. SerialNo. 158,033..

This invention is an apparatus for. raising automobiles from the floor of a garage or from the ground and supporting them firmly in an elevated position to permit workmen to have ready access to "the chassis in order to make repairs, and the object is to provide a very simple, compact and strong mechanism whereby the automobile will be easily raised and firmly supported in the raised position and the mechanism braced against. premature collapse. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be herinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the mechanism showing it in its collapsed position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the apparatus raised;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5-5 of Figv 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of a bearing block; r

Fig. 7 is a detail of a portion of the switchshifting bar.

In carrying outthe invention, 1 provide a pair of base bars or rails 1 which are'of proper length and may conveniently be fiat bars of strap metal having their ends upturned or formed into eyes 2 receiving fulcrum rods 3. These base bars or rails are placed upon the ground or the floor of a garage and are held against relative movement by cross bars or beams 4 arranged at intervals and rigidly secured at their ends to the base rails. Bea-r ing boxes or blocks 5 are provided having transverse openings 6 in their lower portions accommodating the respective fulcrum rods 3 whereby the blocks be supported.

Longitudinally disposed openings or sockets 7 in the upper parts of the blocks constitute bearings for a shaft 8 disposed upon the medial longitudinal line of thehpparatus and having one end connected by a universal joint 9 with the driving shaft 10 which is preferably the armature shaft of an electric motor.

The motor may be of any a proved type and is not illustrated as, in itsel it forms no part of the present invention; it may be arranged to conform to conditions at the place of installation so that it will be out of the way of the vehicle being driven onto or from the ack and will not interfere with the movements or threads being reversed relative to each 4 other. Fitted upon the worms 11 are nuts 12 so that the rotation of the shaft will cause the nuts to travel along the same in opposite directions. and to the opposite sides of each nut are pivotally attached the inner ends of levers 13, the inner ends of links 1 1 being pivotally connected to the respective levers at the centers thereof, as shown at 15. The outer ends of the links 14 are pivoted upon the fulcrum rods 3, while the outer ends of the levers 13 are pivotally engagedwith cross rods 16, the ends of which project beyond the levers and are engaged in longitudinal slots 17 in lifting bars 18 which extend the full length of the apparatus and are intended to support the automobile upon which repairs are to be made. Rollers 19 are mounted on the rods 16 to reduce frictional wear. The bars 18 may engage directly against the under sides of the axles of the vehicle so that the 'the supporting bars 18 other bars of similar form which may have their ends downturned whereby they will constitute skids or runways to permit the vehicle to be driven onto the same so that the wheels will rest thereon and a partial elevation of the Vehicle be accomplished before the lifting apparatus is set in motion. It may be desirable in some instances to provide a trench to accommodate the driving shaft so that all parts of the apparatus will be disposed in a low plane and obstruction to traffic will be minimized.

Spacing sleeves 19 are fitted upon the fulcrum rods 3 between the blocks 5 and the links 14 so that the relation of the parts will be maintained. In order that the motor will be stopped when the apparatus is either fully expanded or fully collapsed, I provide a release bar 20 slidably mounted in guides 21 on braces 4 directly under the shaft 8, and on as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the lifting double-throw switch which closes the circuitin its central position but breaks the circuit when moved to either side. As the nut'12 approaches the end of its prescribed travel in either direction, .it will impinge upon.a 1ug'22 and thereby actuate the bar 20 to open the switch.

- It is thought the operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. The device is normally collapsed,

levers 13 are disposed at the outer sides of the links '14 and at the inner sides of the base rails l, the bars 18 being disposed at the outer sides of the levers and the nuts 12 being at the inner limits of their movement. A vehicle having been brought into position over the apparatus, the motor is started and the driving shaft 10 thereby caused to rotate. The rotation of the said shaft will be imparted to the shaft 8 and the rotation of said shaft will at once effect outward travel of the nuts 12. It will be observed that the lifting levers 13are slightly bent or in the form of very shallow Vs so that the inner ends of the lovers extend upwardly from theirpivotal connections with the nuts and, as a result of this arrangement, the outward travel of the nuts will exert an upward push against the pivotal connections 15 between the levers and the links 14. The outer ends of the levers 'will, consequently, be caused to swing upwardly and impart lifting movement to the rails or'bars 18 so that the vehicle engaged by the rails will be raised as desired. As the levers thus swing upwardly, the links 14 will also swing upwardly and outwardly and eventually will assume positions nearly vertical whereby they will brace the levers and aid in supporting the vehicle oi the ground. When the vehicle is fully raised,- one nut 12 will impinge-against the outer lug 22 so that the motor will stop and the rotation of the shafts 10 and 8 will thereupon" cease. The threaded engagement of the nuts and the shaft 8 will thereupon serve as brakes to aid in maintaining the vehicle supporting bars 18 in their raised position so that premature collapse of the-toggle connection provided by the levers and the links will be prevented.

When the vehicle is to be again lowered, the

motor is started in the usual manner to impart reverse rotation to the shafts 10 and 8 and the nuts 12 will then, of course, travel inwardly so that the levers and links will be rein raising a vehicle from the ground or a floor is eliminated and the vehicle will be supported in an elevated position so that workmen inspecting or repairing it will have easy access to all parts of the same. In order to minimize wear and increase the case of operation, the pivotal connections between the several parts and the bearings of the several shafts are preferably of the anti-friction type but the particular form of the bearings is immaterial.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. The improved vehicle jack comprising a pair of base bars, rigid connections between the same, transverse fulcrum rods secured on the base bars at the ends thereof, a rotatable worm shaft disposed between and parallel with the base bars and having relatively reversed threads at opposite sides of its center,

shallow V-shape in the direction of their.

length, lifting rails carried at their ends by the free ends of the lifting levers, and links pivotally fittted at their outer ends on the fulcrum rods and having their inner ends pivot'ed'to the respectively adjacent lifting levers at the bends in the latter.

2. The improved vehicle jack comprising a pair of base bars, rigid connections between the same, tra'nsverse fulcrum rods secured on the base bars at the ends thereof, a rotatable worm shaft disposed between and parallel with the base bars and having relatively reversed threads at opposite sides of its center, nuts fitted on said threads, lifting levers pivotedto the respective nuts and extending therefrom toward the respectively adjacent ends of the base bars, lifting rails carried at their ends-by the freeends of the lifting levers, links pivotally fitted at their outer ends on the fulcrum rods and having their inner ends pivoted to the respectively adjacent lifting levers, a release bar slidably mounted below and parallel with the worm shaft, and projections onsaid bar at opposite sides of the adjacent nut on the worm shaft and in the. ath of said nut whereby to effect shifting o the bar for arresting rotation of the shaft. j

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

"HARRY s LDoi/ramGE. 1. 5. 

